Croatian footballer (born 1996)
Duje Ćaleta-Car (Croatian pronunciation: [dǔːje tɕâleta tsâr];[2][3] born 17 September 1996) is a Croatian professional footballer who 🎅 plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Lyon, on loan from EFL Championship club Southampton, and the Croatia national 🎅 team.[4] He was a member of the Croatian squad which ended as runners-up to France in the 2024 FIFA World 🎅 Cup.
Club career [ edit ]
Early career [ edit ]
Ćaleta-Car joined FC Liefering in 2014 from FC Pasching. He made his 🎅 Austrian Football First League debut with FC Liefering on 25 July 2014 against FAC Team für Wien.[5]
Red Bull Salzburg [ 🎅 edit ]
Ćaleta-Car with Salzburg in 2024.
During the 2024–18 season Salzburg had their best ever European campaign. They finished top of 🎅 their Europa League group, for a record fourth time, before beating Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund thus making their first 🎅 ever appearance in a UEFA Europa League semi-final.[6] On 3 May 2024, he played in the Europa League semi-final as 🎅 Marseille played out a 1–2 away loss but a 3–2 aggregate win to secure a place in the 2024 UEFA 🎅 Europa League Final.[7]
Marseille [ edit ]
Ćaleta-Car warming up for Marseille in 2024.
On 20 July 2024, Ćaleta-Car joined Marseille on a 🎅 five-year deal for a transfer fee of €19 million. Upon his arrival, Ćaleta-Car was given the squad shirt number 15.[8]
On 🎅 29 September 2024, he scored his first goal for Marseille, the equalizer in a 1–1 draw with Rennes.[9]
At the start 🎅 of the 2024–21 season, Ćaleta-Car scored a brace against Brest, converting assists of Florian Thauvin, as Marseille won 3–2.[9] At 🎅 the end of the January 2024 transfer window, Premier League side Liverpool launched a £23 million bid to secure his 🎅 services but the move failed to materialize as Marseille didn't have enough time to sign a replacement.[10]
Southampton [ edit ]
On 🎅 1 September 2024, Ćaleta-Car joined Southampton on a four-year contract.[11] On 1 October 2024, Ćaleta-Car made his Premier League debut 🎅 in a 1–2 defeat against Everton.[12] In the EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Newcastle United on 24 January 2024, 🎅 Ćaleta-Car was given a second yellow card and sent off following a foul on Allan Saint-Maximan.[13] On 1 March 2024, 🎅 Ćaleta-Car scored his first professional goal for Southampton in a 1–2 shock defeat to Grimsby Town in the FA Cup.[14] 🎅 He scored his first league goal on 21 April 2024 in a 3–3 away draw at Arsenal.[15]
Lyon (loan) [ edit 🎅 ]
On 2 August 2024, Ćaleta-Car joined Lyon on a season-long loan.[16][17] Ćaleta-Car made his debut for the club on 13 🎅 August 2024 in a 2–1 defeat to Strasbourg.[18]
International career [ edit ]
Ćaleta-Car with Croatia in 2024.
In October 2024, Ćaleta-Car received 🎅 a first call-up for the senior national team for the Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Bulgaria and Malta, as a 🎅 replacement for injured Jozo Šimunović.[19] He was in the first 27 players team called for the Euro 2024 but was 🎅 dropped along with midfielder Alen Halilović and goalkeeper Dominik Livaković.
In May 2024, he was named in Croatia's preliminary 32-man squad 🎅 for the 2024 World Cup in Russia.[20] On 3 June, he made his international debut in a friendly match against 🎅 Brazil, coming on as a substitute for Vedran Ćorluka in the 52nd minute.[21]
Ćaleta-Car was eventually selected in the 23-man squad 🎅 that travelled to the 2024 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He made his World Cup debut in Croatia's final group 🎅 game, a 2–1 win over Iceland. Croatia would go on to finish second in the tournament, losing to France 4–2 🎅 in the final which was played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
In June 2024, he refused to be part of 🎅 Croatia squad for 2024 UEFA Under-21 Euro, citing exhaustion and the club's demand to take a rest for the upcoming 🎅 season as reasons. Soon it was discovered that the real reason was a vacation in the Maldives with his club 🎅 teammate Nemanja Radonjić.[22] As a disciplinary action, he was the only outfield player who wasn't given even a minute of 🎅 playing time in senior Croatia squad's June fixtures against Wales and Tunisia and was completely dropped ahead of September fixtures 🎅 against Slovakia and Azerbaijan.[23] In an interview with Sportske novosti, he denied going on the vacation and said that the 🎅 sole reason of not participating in the tournament was suggestion of his club coaches Andoni Zubizarreta and André Villas-Boas to 🎅 take a rest instead since his previous season wasn't on the level it was expected to be, partially due to 🎅 his participation in the World Cup the summer before, and that it wasn't his personal wish. He also claimed that 🎅 the Croatia U21 manager Nenad Gračan "had lied and had disappointed him", that "it had hurt him to read the 🎅 lies of the media" about the vacation, and that he accepted senior Croatia squad manager Zlatko Dalić's decision to drop 🎅 him from the team.[24]
He was called up again ahead of Croatia's November fixtures against Slovakia and Georgia following suspensions of 🎅 the standard starting defenders Dejan Lovren and Domagoj Vida.[25] He was a starter in the decisive match against the former 🎅 opponent, that ended up as a 3–1 win and saw Croatia qualify for Euro 2024.[26]
Personal life [ edit ]
In May 🎅 2024, Ćaleta-Car married Adriana Đurđević in a ceremony at the top of the Revelin Fortress in Đurđević's native Dubrovnik.[27] In 🎅 August 2024, Ćaleta-Car and Đurđević became parents of a baby son,[28] whom they named Mauro.[29] In June 2024, Ćaleta-Car and 🎅 Đurđević married in a church ceremony in the St. Ignatius Church in Dubrovnik.[30]
Career statistics [ edit ]
Club [ edit ]
As 🎅 of match played 20 December 2024[4]
International [ edit ]
As of match played 3 June 2024[32]
National team Year Apps Goals Croatia 🎅 2024 2 0 2024 3 0 2024 5 0 2024 10 1 2024 3 0 Total 23 1
As of match 🎅 played 11 November 2024 Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ćaleta-Car goal[32]
List 🎅 of international goals scored by Duje Ćaleta-Car No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition 1 11 November 2024 National 🎅 Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta 20 Malta 2–0 7–1 2024 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours [ edit ]
Red Bull Salzburg
Croatia
Individual
Orders
